In a new interview with FilmStew, producer Barbara Broccoli discussed the process of finally making an official adaption of the first Ian Fleming novel, Casino Royale and choosing Daniel Craig for the role of James Bond.

‘It’s always a challenge because you sit down and you say, “What journey are we going to take Bond on?”‘ she begins. ‘We were very lucky this time because we had the book and we basically just sat down, analyzed the book and thought, “How are we going to adapt this for today?”‘

‘I think [the funding of terrorist activities by Le Chiffre in Casino Royale is] very relevant today, because as we are all concerned about terrorists we’’re also concerned about how they are funded. So, strangely, it fit very well into a story that had been written in 1953. I think that the plots are complex, but it’s supposed to be a mystery. You’re supposed to be intrigued and try to figure out what Bond is up to as he’s trying to unravel the mystery as well. And hopefully by the end of it you feel as if you sort of understand everything.’

With that in mind, it was apparent that Broccoli was not planning on ‘dumbing-down’ Casino Royale for the audience. ‘I think when you make films you have to assume that people are intelligent,’ she explains. ‘I think, often, people do dumb down films too much. Audiences, I dont think, really like that.’

On the topic of choosing Craig as the newest 007, she says, ‘The reality was that Michael and I always wanted Daniel. He was our first choice from the get-go. The fact was we approached him and he said, “Look, I’ll consider it, but I’m not going to make a decision until I read a script.” So the time between giving him the script and announcing him was about three or four weeks. All of that other stuff was a lot of speculation.’

Bringing the interview to an end, Broccoli briefly discussed how her father–Albert R. ‘Cubby’ Broccoli–would have reacted to Craig as the new Bond. ‘I think he would love Daniel,’ she suggests. ‘When Daniel did that scene where he shoots the gun, I burst into tears because that’s all I could think of, that “I just wish my father was here to see him in this role.” Because I think he would have loved him.’

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Casino Royale is the 21st James Bond 007 film produced by franchise holders Eon Productions. The MGM/Columbia Pictures production began shooting in January and opened on 16 November 2006 in the UK and worldwide starting on 17 November. The world premiere of Casino Royale took place on 14 November in London. The film stars Daniel Craig as James Bond; locations include the Czech Republic, the Bahamas, Italy and the UK.